How is the encephalic death understood by the Intensive Care physicians in "Dr.Faustino Pérez" Hospital

Abstract

It is of great social importance the recognition of encephalic death in a patient hospitalized in a Intensive Care Unit.It is a challenge to relativies to know its significance and implications and we have noted that non-intensivist physicians have difficulty to understand this category.In order to verify the existence of the problem on our medium,to understand it, distinguish it and explain its causes through the Education Philosophic Principles ,a descriptive and prospective study was carried out,which included 42 physicians from the Intensive Care Diplomate during the 2003-4 and 2004-5 courses in the ICU at Matanzas "Dr.Faustino Pérez Pérez ".An anonymous questionnaire with three questions about Encephalic Death was carried out.Results werw processed by the drumstick method. It could be found that 44% the physicians did not conceder the patient dead with ED 81% werw not able to identify two of its clinical characteristics and 90% agreed that if one of thear realtives was in those circumstances be or dhe woul be an organ donor . We conclude that the problem existence could be demonstrated,the technical unknowledge was the fundamental cause and that once it was decided that a relative in those conditions would be an organ donor,then the solidarity value predominated over the cosmovision in the mayority of those interviewed.